Learning the Art of Reincarnation
by Evil Cosmic Triplets
Summary: Danny doesn't like cats, but he can't say no when Grace asks him to take care of an injured feline. Chin thought that he was done with revisiting his past, but, it turns out that the past is back to haunt him, and Danny is his only hope for redemption.
1. Absolutely Not

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters of this work of fiction, and no profit, monetary or otherwise, is being made through the writing of this.

**A/N:** Written after a conversation with a friend. Fulfilling Cotton Candy Bingo prompt - Haven't Realized How Much They Love Each Other Yet, and Trope Bingo prompt - Immortality/Reincarnation.

* * *

Grace frowned at her father, and grasped the wriggling bundle closer to her chest. She squared her jaw, and stood her ground. "Danno, we have to help it. It's injured."

It was the trembling lower lip, combined with the plaintive tone, which had Danny uncrossing his arms and internally groaning. He caved. "Fine, but we're taking it straight to the Humane Society."

Grace sighed and tilted her head to the side, rearranging the feline in her arms – which was wrapped in a towel – and giving it a slight smile, before turning a less than happy look at her father. "But, Danno…we have to make sure it's alright first."

"Grace, honey, I love that you've got a good, kind heart, but…" Danny lifted his hands as he spoke, and he fashioned a heart between them, let his hands fall down to his sides when his daughter sighed again. "Honey, it could have diseases. I – "

"Danno, it's shivering, and I think its paw might be broken." Grace completely ignored her father. She closed the gap between them, and shoved the small, furry bundle up into his face. "See, he's in pain, Danno."

Danny didn't want to look at the creature his daughter had – even after he'd told her explicitly not to – picked up off the side of the trail they'd been walking along. It was an easy, almost meandering walk, unlike the hikes that Steve often took them on that had Danny's knee twitching, and his lungs burning by the end of the hike.

Danny had, mistakenly, thought that this was going to be a nice, trouble-free walk. He should have known that things wouldn't go the way that he'd planned. Should've known that they'd go south, because the sun was shining, there was a nice, gentle breeze blowing, and it was a truly beautiful day.

On a whim, or so it had seemed at the time, Kono had invited Danny and Grace to join her and Chin for an afternoon at Waimea Falls. She'd walked ahead of Danny and Grace in search of her wayward cousin who was supposed to meet them a half an hour ago. Chin was a no-show, and now Danny had the sinking feeling that he was going to become a new pet parent if the full-on puppy dog look on his daughter's face was anything to go by.

"Danno," Grace said on a sigh.

She jiggled the cat in front of his face, and Danny pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt the pressure of a headache starting to form behind his eyes. It might have started off as a bright, sunshiny day, but it was quickly becoming a day that was slowly descending into a hellish nightmare.

Danny glanced down at the cat Grace had picked up, in spite of his admonitions for her not to touch it. She'd at least used one of the towels they'd brought along – visitors were allowed to swim at the base of the waterfall, as well as to jump from the top of the waterfall (something which Grace was _not _going to do – no amount of pleading, or puppy dog eyes, or trembling bottom lips would sway him) – to wrap the cat in.

At first glance, all that Danny could see were the cat's dark, brown eyes, which were, if he knew anything about cats (and he really didn't) a bit unusual. They seemed to draw him in, almost like he was looking into the very soul of the cat, and it was _begging _him to take care of it. Danny had to blink, and take a step away.

"Danno?" Grace's voice was soft, uncertain. "What's wrong?"

Danny shook his head, trying to clear it of the image of the cat's odd eyes. "Nothing, monkey. It's okay. Why don't you give the cat to me, monkey?"

Danny wiggled his fingers, and tried to smile at his daughter, to reassure her that things really were okay, though there was a sense of dread beginning to fill the pit of his stomach. There was something very wrong, but Danny couldn't pinpoint what it was. His skin tingled, and he knew in his gut that there was a mystery to be solved, and his precious little girl was holding it in her arms.


	2. Go to Danny

**Disclaimer:** See initial chapter.

**A/N:** I know, Chin wouldn't be this stupid, but we all make mistakes, and misjudge situations, and wind up in a world of hurt for it. I do think there is precedence for this type of behavior on the show.

* * *

Chin looked at his watch for what must've been the hundredth time in the past half an hour. He didn't understand why his cousin had changed the time of their meet, and he thumbed his phone on to look at the text once again. It was short, and succinct, the reason for the change in time and meeting place unclear.

_Could be a setup,_ he thought, but he shrugged off that thought as soon as it had come. It was Saturday, and Five-0 wasn't working a case. As a matter-of-fact, they'd just put a case to bed last week, and there was nothing lingering over their heads.

After the week that they'd had, Chin was looking forward to getting together with Kono, Danny and Grace. It wasn't often that they got together, just the four of them, outside of work, and Chin had a niggling suspicion that his cousin was orchestrating something a little more than just a simple get-together.

"_Relax, cos'," Kono had said when he'd questioned her about it earlier that week. She'd elbowed him in the ribs, and punched him in the arm, grinning widely when he winced and rubbed at his aching side. She had a remarkably knobby elbow. _

"_I ain't got nothin' up my sleeve," Kono'd said, and she'd held her arms up, making a big deal of looking down each sleeve, and showing them to Chin. He'd rolled his eyes. _

"_Promise. Besides, with Steve out of town with his S.E.A.L. buddies, it's a perfect opportunity for us mice to play." She'd grinned impishly and then had waved at Danny who'd by chance looked up from his computer at that moment. The detective had returned her wave with a wary smile and a wave of his own, and had exchanged a look, and an eye-roll with Chin before returning to his work. _

Chin checked his watch one last time, and then frowned. He was standing at the foot of the secondary path – the one that led visitors up and around the primary path to the falls. It had little alcoves that featured peeks into Hawaii's past – hales with thatch roofs, tools and machinery fashioned out of stone. He checked his phone, hoping that his cousin had left a message explaining their tardiness.

There was no message. Chin was starting to worry. They were late for their earlier rendezvous, as indicated by Kono's most recent missive, by almost ten minutes. That wasn't like Kono, and it was definitely not like Danny who never measured appointments by the more forgiving, and varied 'Hawaiian' time-frame.

Chin barely had time to register the prickle along the back of his neck as he sensed that something was wrong, before a shadow separated itself from that of the trees that surrounded him, and morphed into a human being holding a knife. Chin took a step back and instinctively reached toward his side, where he normally kept his gun. It wasn't there.

"Remember me, Officer Kelly?" the shadow asked. The tone wasn't menacing, if anything, it was almost lighthearted, conversational.

Chin narrowed his eyes. The man's face was in shadow, and his voice was little more than a harsh whisper. It was impossible for Chin to make out who the man was, but there was no mistaking that his intent was malicious.

The man took a step toward Chin, and shadow fell away from his face, revealing a scar that ran from the man's hairline, near his temple, to a corner of the man's mouth. It was an ugly scar, one that Chin would never forget for as long as he lived.

It was a scar that Chin had given the man when he'd attempted to save a young woman, Gloria, which the unstable man – Keahu Mahaku – had kidnapped.

As a matter of fact, the knife which Mahaku held on him now was the very knife that Mahaku had held to Gloria's throat ten years ago, almost to the day. The knife that Chin had managed to wrest away from the serial killer before he could kill Gloria. The knife that, Chin, as he'd attempted to pull it free of Mahaku's hand, had inadvertently caused to leave the deep scarring on the man's face.

Chin drew in a sharp breath, and tried to back away from the man that he now recognized, but a tree stopped him. He'd put Mahaku in the hospital, and then his, and Gloria's testimony had put the man in jail for a very long time.

"Listen, Keahu." Chin kept his voice light, tried to keep the very real fear hidden. Danny, Kono, and Grace would be here soon, and he didn't want Mahaku to have any potential victims, other than himself.

"No, you listen, Officer Kelly," Mahaku growled, and he leaned in close, pressed the edge of his knife against Chin's thigh.

"I'm going to make you pay for what you did to me," Mahaku whispered, lips brushing against Chin's ear as he wrapped a hand around Chin's throat. "And I'm not just talking about this." Mahaku shoved the scarred side of his face into Chin's line of vision, applied pressure to the knife, and drew blood.

"Tell me, do you remember that day?" Mahaku asked. He pressed the knife in deeper, and Chin drew in a sharp breath.

"Yes," Chin hissed. He was having a hard time breathing. Spots danced across his vision, and he feared that, if Makahu didn't release his throat soon, he'd lose consciousness.

"Good," Mahaku said, and he leaned back so that Chin could get a clear look at his face. His mouth was twisted in a rather macabre looking smile, the scar making it look even more twisted and ugly.

"Because, officer, I haven't stopped thinking about that day. Not a minute has slipped by where I haven't replayed our little tussle in these very woods. Tell me, was that bitch worth it? Was she worth this?" Mahaku moved the hand he'd held to Chin's throat to the stunned officer's mouth, stifling Chin's gasp, and muffling a startled shout as he twisted the knife into Chin's thigh, burying it deep into the flesh.

"Was that fucking cunt worth dying for?" Mahaku drove the knife into Chin's thigh, pulled upward, and Chin screamed, but the hand over his mouth kept the sounds of his scream from traveling anywhere.

He sagged against the tree, his vision dimming. Mahaku's twisted, scarred face swam in and out of focus as Chin struggled to stay conscious, to shove Mahaku, and the knife he'd used to kill nearly half a dozen women away. It was futile, and Chin's strength, his life force, was ebbing.

Chin tried to speak beneath the hand, tried to get his mind, which was starting to short circuit and fail him, to work, so that he could form words which would get Mahaku to ease up, to bring him somewhere else. They were off the beaten path, and no one had decided to travel along the steeper trail yet, but Chin knew that it was only a matter of time before someone happened along, and with his body starting to fail him, he wouldn't be able to keep Mahaku from killing some hapless tourist.

Mahaku pulled the knife free, and Chin nearly sighed in relief. But, with what could only be described as an evil, sadistic glint in his eye, Mahaku pulled the knife back an arm's length away, and then, with no other warning, other than the smile that twisted his features freakishly, he shoved the knife deep into Chin's lower abdomen, twisting it with a wicked sounding laugh that seemed to reverberate through Chin's sluggish brain.

"And, now, Officer Kelly, you die," Mahaku said.

A couple, talking loudly about how beautiful the place and Hawaii was, stepped off the wide, paved path, dangerously close to where Mahaku and Chin stood, swathed in the shadows. He pressed his body close to Chin's, as the couple passed, dipping his head, as though they were lovers, hiding what he was really doing from the laughing pair who passed them by without even seeming to notice.

Chin's eyelids grew heavy, and he barely registered when Mahaku pulled the knife free and readied to stab him again. The sounds of the nearby forest amplified – birds chirping, the rushing water of the falls, smaller vermin moving around in the brush – and for a moment that's all that Chin could hear. Mahaku's ragged breathing, his own heartbeat, were both eclipsed by the sounds of the forest.

_This is it,_ Chin thought, and a peace, unlike anything he'd ever experienced before, stole over him. Malia's face flashed before him, and her lips moved silently – he couldn't make out her words, but knew they were meant to be comforting. She was dressed in white, smiling. Light surrounded her like a halo, and Chin could feel her hand, cool, soothing against his cheek.

"Go to Danny, he'll help you." Malia's voice wrapped around him like a blanket, and she kissed him. "They're almost here, go to them. Grace and Danny. Chin, you must go to them."

Chin never felt the knife plunge into him for a third time, didn't notice the flash of light that rent the air around Mahaku and him, striking the two of them. His eyes were focused on Malia, and he reached for her even as she began to fade away, the smile on her face wavering and then simply disappearing altogether.


	3. Missing

**Disclaimer:** See initial chapter.

* * *

Grace tilted her head, and seemed to be weighing her father's intentions toward the injured feline before finally taking a step forward and entrusting it to his care. Danny waited, as patiently as he could under the circumstances.

Danny fought the urge to place the injured creature back where Grace had found it, knowing that his daughter would not quickly forgive him for such an act. Instead, he held the cat gingerly, and took a closer look at it.

Barely able to lift its head, the cat mewled pathetically, and something tugged at Danny's heart. He took a steadying breath, and noted the red splotches that marred the brand new beach towel. The cat's eyes were filled with pain, and trust, and Danny had to look away, because there was something about them which seemed almost familiar.

"C'mon, monkey," Danny said, tucking the injured cat to his chest, and blindly reaching for Grace's hand. "We'd better find your Auntie Kono and get this guy to a vet."

"Is he going to be okay, Danno?" Grace's voice was soft, and she leaned close to her father's side.

Danny squeezed Grace's hand reassuringly, his eyes locked on the cat's. Its fur, matted with blood, was striped – black and white. Its belly, where it wasn't red with blood, was white. It was, in Danny's estimation, a good looking animal, for a cat.

"Danny, Grace!" Kono's voice jarred Danny from his inner musings, and he stepped back onto the main path, tugging Grace with him.

"Kono, where's Chin?" Danny peered over Kono's shoulder, and he noticed that Grace, too, was looking for the missing man.

The cat seemed to stir, and, mindful of its injuries, Danny absentmindedly shushed it, almost as he would a hurt, fearful child. Grace stood up on her tiptoes, and ran her fingers soothingly through the cat's fur.

Kono shook her head and pursed her lips. She held her cell phone up in her hand. "He's not here, Danny, and he hasn't texted me to let me know that he's running late. He hasn't responded to any of my texts either."

"Have you tried calling him?" Danny's gut tightened, and he was suddenly on high alert.

He let go of Grace's hand and pulled his own phone out of his pocket. Hitting the speed dial for Chin, he pressed the phone to his ear, and ignored the cat as it licked his thumb.

The faint strains of a familiar song drifted over to them from the path Danny and Grace had just left, and Danny's heart sunk as the theme song to, "The Greatest American Hero," continued to play unimpeded.

Kono blanched, but she quickly schooled her features, and circled around to Danny's side, placing herself between Grace and the path where Chin's phone continued to ring before abruptly cutting off. Danny hit the stop button on his phone without leaving a message, and reclaimed his hold on Grace's hand. Something was wrong.

Kono went to reach for her gun, before realizing, belatedly, that she didn't have it. She shared a look with Danny, and then called out to her cousin. "Chin?"

There was no answer, save for the cat moving restlessly in his hold, and Danny spared it a fleeting look, before turning to peer into the small copse of trees. It seemed eerily quiet to Danny.

"I'll go take a look," Kono whispered.

Danny didn't like it, but he nodded. Grace's hold on his hand tightened and he squeezed back. Kono knelt and pulled something from her boot, and Danny nearly rolled his eyes as he realized that it was a knife. Steve was a terrible influence on the young officer, but right now, he was grateful for it.

"Be careful," Danny said, and he held his breath, wishing that he had a way that he could contact Steve, because they could really use the S.E.A.L.'s help right about now.

"Danno, is Uncle Chin okay?" Grace's voice was subdued.

"I hope so," Danny said, and the cat meowed. It was a long, drawn out sound that raised the hairs on the back of Danny's neck, and caused him to temporarily turn away from watching Kono's slow, methodical approach toward the area they'd heard Chin's ringtone come from.

The cat stared at him, eyes glazed with pain and what appeared to be fear. The cat's fur was puffed out, indicating danger, and Danny made an executive decision. Handing the cat off to Grace, Danny knelt in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Grace, I need you to take the cat and walk back to the entrance and wait for me there," Danny said, trusting his gut, the warning bristles of the cat's fur.

"Grace?" he prodded when the little girl merely blinked at him in response. "Do you understand, honey?"

Grace shuddered and nodded. She clutched the cat closer to herself, and quickly kissed Danny on the cheek. Though her eyes watered, she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "Yes, Danno. Please be careful, and bring Uncle Chin back safely."

Danny smiled, and tugged at one of her braids, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Call your mom, sweetheart, okay?"

Grace's brow furrowed, but she nodded, and she didn't protest when he spun her around and pushed her in the direction of the entrance, which was nearby. It would only take her a few minutes to reach its relative safety, and Danny's gut was screaming at him that the real danger lie where Kono had disappeared into the shadows of the trees.

As soon as Grace's foot touched the short, wooden bridge which would lead her to safety, Danny turned around and followed after Kono. Keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings, hoping that the amped up sense of danger that clawed at his gut was nothing, Danny stepped into the copse of woods, and waited for his eyes to adjust to the change in lighting.

"Danny, Chin's phone is here, and there's blood, a couple of footprints, but, Danny," Kono's voice hitched, and she turned to look at him, her eyes wide with worry. "Danny, he's not here."

Kono hadn't touched the phone which was lying face up, on the leaf-littered ground, smack dab in the middle of a small pool of blood. There were two sets of footsteps, one undeniably Chin's, the other belonged to someone taller – the shoe-prints were a couple of sizes bigger than Chin's.

Only one set of footprints appeared to be leaving the small copse of woods, heading toward the secondary path, and they weren't Chin's, which begged the question, where was their team member? Danny scanned the area around the footprints, but there was nothing, no sign of Chin, other than the cell phone and the disturbing pool of cooling blood.

He peered closer at the ground surrounding the phone, the blood which appeared to be relatively fresh, and frowned. He took out his phone and snapped a few photos of the scene, knowing that he'd need to call in HPD, and a forensics team. That he'd need to step aside and let them run the case for their missing comrade. He didn't like it. Knew that Kono would like it even less, but it had to be done.

"Kono, we're going to find him," Danny promised. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and gave it a light squeeze.

Kono swallowed and nodded. She swiped at her eyes, and Danny pointedly looked away, knowing that she wouldn't want him to comfort her right now, that she needed him not to see her tears. She didn't need Danny the father right now, but Daniel Williams, the detective.

It was as they were getting ready to leave, Danny's hand already on his cell, dialing HPD when he saw it, a glint of flashing light dancing off of metal. He dropped to his knees, heedless of the rough ground, and he pulled Kono down with him, warning her with a finger pressed to his lips, and nodding in the direction of the glinting light.

She caught on quickly; all trace of tears and fear for her cousin gone from her face, nothing but grim determination was left. She nodded, and kept her eye trained on where Danny'd seen the flash of light through the canopy of trees.

Danny felt Kono's muscles twitch beneath his hold, and he gripped her tighter, not wanting her to go off half-cocked, like Steve. He really didn't need two impulsive co-workers, and wished that Chin was here, helping to ground his cousin.

Of all of them, Chin was calm, cool and steady. A good man to have by your side in a gun fight. A good man, period. The thought that something bad had happened to him, that he was quite possibly in danger, was something that caused Danny's gut to twist.


	4. Promises

**Disclaimer:** See initial chapter.

* * *

Chin's mind was sluggish, uncooperative, and he felt different somehow. Like he was floating. It was a strange feeling, and he didn't like it one bit. He was in so much pain that it almost didn't matter. He wanted to sleep, wanted to let go of everything and just rest, but Malia's parting words, the way that she'd looked at him, kept him awake in spite of the pain.

It wasn't until he saw Danny that he realized just how different things were. How different he truly was. Danny seemed to tower over him, and Chin was hyper aware of just how blue the man's eyes were, and how strong Danny's arms were when the man held him. How strongly Danny smelled of everything Chin has come to equate with happiness and home – coffee, doughnuts, and spicy aftershave.

He tried to tell Danny, and Grace and Kono that he was right there with them when they tried to call him. Tried to warn them about Mahaku, but they didn't seem to hear him.

It was as he made one last ditch effort to be heard by Danny that he realized the awful truth – that he was dead, and trapped in some sort of middle place. Some place between the physical earth and the spiritual world. A kind of netherworld.

It was disconcerting, and Chin was afraid for his friends, for his family. He was afraid for himself.

"It's going to be alright," Grace was saying, and Chin shook his head, trying to clear it, wondering how long it would take for the afterworld to right itself. How long it would take until he no longer heard the voices of those he loved, no longer saw their concerned looks.

"Danno will find Uncle Chin, and we'll take you to the vet, and…" Grace's voice cracked, and she sniffled, her words trailing off.

Chin wondered if Grace was talking about the feral cat that he'd seen just before Mahaku had attacked him. It had been sleek, almost, but not quite, skin and bones. It had been in the process of stalking a bird at the time, growling low and casting a hateful look in Chin and Mahaku's direction when their loud, erratic movements had startled the bird into flight.

The black and grey striped cat had sat back on its haunches and regarded the men almost coolly. Its tail twitched angrily as it watched them, and it idly licked its paws as it bathed itself. It was clearly both angry at, and bored with, the men.

Chin had forgotten all about the cat when Mahaku's knife bit into his flesh. He'd lost track of everything then – time and space, himself.

He almost laughed as he thought about the showdown that Danny and Grace must've had over the cat. Danny was not a fan of cats, but Chin knew that Grace would be able to talk her father into, not only making sure that the cat was seen to by a vet, but keeping it afterwards.

He'd have liked to have been there, would have liked to have witnessed the stubborn Williams' battling it out over the welfare of a mean, scraggly-looking cat. A sense of déjà-vu as he thought about it made Chin feel a little woozy – Grace plaintively arguing with her father about helping the injured cat, and Danny steadfastly arguing that they needed to take it to the Humane Society; the cat being carefully handed off from one Williams to the other…

Disconcerted, Chin concentrated on trying to figure out how to navigate in the netherworld. He heard Grace's voice again, soft as she spoke to the cat. "Danno doesn't like cats, but he will take real good care of you. He's very good at taking care of everyone."

Chin nodded. Danny was good at taking care of everyone but himself. He sensed that Grace understood that about her father as she peered closely into the cat's eyes –her brown eyes, so like her father's in every way but color, the sharp way with which they regarded everything, how they saw more than what the average person did – and sighed.

"He's just really stubborn sometimes," Grace said.

Chin chuckled in agreement, and his world tilted slightly. Pain flared in his abdomen, and Chin was worried about what the afterlife had waiting for him when he finally got to it.

Grace drew in a sharp breath that ended in a half sob, and Chin felt the hot sting of tears rolling down his back. He smelled the little girl –an odd combination of cocoa butter and strawberries – and was not wholly prepared to hear her cry as though he was right there with her. It was all very strange, and dizzying.

"I'm so sorry, kitty," Grace sobbed. "Please be okay."

It was then that it hit him – he was, for whatever reason, tied to Grace in some way. Maybe Chin was meant to be her guardian angel, to keep her safe while Danny and Kono went after his killer. Maybe, after they found Mahaku, Chin would be allowed to fully enter the afterlife, to be reincarnated, or enter into Nirvana. It was a rallying thought, and Chin struggled to find some way to communicate to Grace, to keep her safe from harm.

"I wish Danno was here," Grace whispered, burying her face into the fur of the cat.

Chin felt warmth settle over him, and some of his pain subsided. He felt at peace, honored to be able to take care of Danny's little girl for him one last time.

Danny had come to mean a lot to Chin over the years, though he'd never admitted as much to the man. There'd been no occasion; really, no words for him to explain what Danny had come to represent in his life.

Danny was vibrant. He lived life out loud and Chin admired that about the often abrasive man, had come to see Danny's prickly nature was much more complicated than what most people saw.

Most people brushed Danny off as brusque and arrogant, never seeing past his loud, often obnoxious exterior, but Chin knew better than that. Understood that Danny hid insecurities and vulnerabilities underneath bluster and verbal gibes. The man used words the way that Steve used weapons – and often times Danny's words cut deeper than a knife ever could.

Chin didn't know when his respect and admiration for Danny had turned into love for the man. It hadn't happened all at once. There'd been no loud trumpet announcement to accompany the soft, gradual fall. It wasn't something that tugged at Chin's gut, or made his stomach fill with butterflies. He wasn't head over heels, or so twisted around that he couldn't think straight.

No, it was a matter-of-fact kind of love. A love that just happened over the course of time, and which most people didn't realize until it was too late.

Every now and then he'd caught a glimpse of Danny lost in some thought, face no longer a mask of the confident, self-assurance that he presented to the world, and Chin's heart would skip a beat, his mouth would go dry, and he'd have to turn away. At the time, Chin hadn't been able to put a name to it, but now, now that he was dead, or dying, he could, and the unfairness of it wasn't lost on him.

It was bitter, and reminiscent of what he'd lost with Malia, because of his stubborn pride. Years that he could have spent with her, if only he'd let her in earlier, not been so bullheaded. Years that had been cut much too short when he'd finally decided to stop shutting her out.

That it was happening all over again, that he was losing out on love when he'd only just begun to realize that he was in love made Chin's gut ache. He didn't want to leave the world like this.

"Danno's going to fix you, and keep you safe," Grace promised the cat, and Chin selfishly claimed that promise for himself as he felt something, not unlike sleep, pull him away from the world, away from Grace.


	5. Gone

**Disclaimer:** See initial chapter.

* * *

"Danny, he's not here." Kono's voice wavered, and her grip on Danny's hand tightened.

They'd made the call to HPD, and had made an initial sweep of the area surrounding Chin's phone, but had found no sign of the man. The only things that they had found were signs of a struggle, and a piece of tattered clothing that Kono was certain was from one of Chin's favorite shirts. Danny remembered it – a soft, blue cotton shirt that had fit Chin well.

The only other print they'd found in the vicinity – other than those of Chin's and his alleged assailant – was a single paw print, which Danny believed belonged to the cat that Grace had found mewling just off the beaten path. It was smack dab – the bloody red paw print – in the middle of the screen of Chin's cell phone. It was almost disturbing, how perfect the single paw print was, as well as it's placement, almost as if the cat had been about to make a phone call.

They were now standing at the entrance, Grace on one side of Danny, holding the bedraggled cat and Kono on the other side, clutching Danny's hand. Waiting while HPD took the lead on looking for their missing teammate.

"Danno," Grace whispered, and she tugged on his hand, repositioned the cat so that Danny could see him clearly.

"It's okay, Danny," Kono said. "You don't need to stay. I'll be fine." She stiffened beside him, drawing her shoulders back stubbornly.

Danny sighed, and shook his head. "Kono, Grace and I aren't going anywhere." He pulled her into a one-armed hug.

"You should get that cat to the vet," Kono said practically.

"The cat will be fine," Danny insisted, ignoring the worried look on his daughter's face, and the fact that the cat appeared to be barely breathing.

"Danny," Kono shrugged his arm off, pushed away and faced him, wrapped her arms around herself. "I'll be fine."

"Rachel's coming to pick up Grace. They'll take the cat to the vet," Danny said, ignoring the disgruntled sound that issued from his daughter's mouth, and the almost imperceptible mewl from the cat.

He didn't want to leave Kono, not like this. Didn't want to leave until every inch of the park had been combed and Chin, or a sign of what had happened to him, had been discovered. He had a bad feeling about Chin, about the blood, and about the fact that it seemed as if the man, and whoever had done this to him, had disappeared into thin air.

The wait for Rachel seemed to take forever, and then, when she did arrive, Danny'd had to promise that, not only would he pick Grace up for the rest of the weekend, once the park had been cleared, but that he'd take responsibility for the cat after it had been brought to the vet. It was at times like this that he wondered how he and Rachel had ever fallen in love in the first place, and how they'd made such a beautiful child together.

"Danny, you didn't have to stay," Kono said for about the millionth time. She had her arms wrapped over her middle, and looked miserable.

Danny pulled her into a hug, and held her until her stiff muscles started to loosen up. "Yes, I did," he said. "I care about Chin. I care about you."

Officer Duke Lukela cleared his throat. "Sorry to intrude," he said. His voice was quiet and his eyes were filled with sympathy.

"You didn't find him, did you?" Kono asked, and Danny tightened his hold on her.

Duke shook his head. "I'm afraid not, but we did find a possible lead." He looked at Danny, and something in the man's eyes made Danny's blood run cold.

"What'd you find, Duke?" Danny asked.

"A single set of prints leading toward the nearby woods. We're following up on it." It was what Duke wasn't saying that had Danny frightened for Chin, for Kono.

"But..." Danny pressed.

"No sign of Officer Kelly, other than the blood, the torn piece of clothing, and his blood-spattered phone," Duke said.

"We've bagged up what little evidence we could find and have sent it off to the lab. We'll let you know as soon as we find anything. You should go home, now," Duke was talking to Kono, but clearly communicating to Danny the importance of getting Kono away from the park. Whatever had happened to Chin, it didn't look good.

Danny's heart sank, and he pulled a now teary-eyed Kono close, hugging her, and turning her away from the park. He didn't want to leave, knew that Kono didn't either, but right now, there was nothing that either of them could do, and standing there, waiting for word on Chin wasn't going to help matters.

"We'll get him back," Danny promised, though in his heart he didn't know if he could keep that promise.

A rush of movement, off to the side of the path they were headed down, caught Danny's attention, and he instinctively pushed Kono behind him. Ignoring her shouted protest, he launched himself at the man who'd come running out of the woods, barely noting that the man was holding a knife, that his clothes were torn and bloodied.

Danny tackled the man, bringing both of them down onto the hard, hot pavement. His knee protesting the way he'd landed on it. He pinned the man down, dimly aware of the shouts and the flurry of movement around him as several officers raced onto the scene.

The man looked up at Danny, his eyes wide and wild. He was breathing hard, and looked terrified, half out of his mind. His face was spattered with blood, and Danny saw that the knife the man held was covered with blood, some of it already drying and flaking off. He slammed the man's hand down onto the pavement, over and over again until his grip on the knife loosened and it clattered to the ground beside them.

Danny knew, knew it in his gut, that it was Chin's blood on the man's face, the man's knife, the man's clothing, and he felt like throwing up, but he held his ground, waited for the officers to let him know that they were in place before he got up, his knee throbbing with the movement. The man didn't fight to get free. His crazy eyes were locked on Danny and he wet his lips.

"It was a ghost," he said. "A ghost took him before I..." The man shook his head, broke his gaze from Danny as he was hauled to his feet and cuffed, the knife carefully bagged as evidence.

"She stole my revenge," the man said, his voice a low growl, and he started fighting the officers. "That bitch ghost took him from me before I was finished carving him up! It's not fair. I waited for ten years. Ten fucking years to get my revenge on Officer Chin Ho Kelly, and that bitch ghost took him away, just like that."

Danny's stomach churned, and he felt anger boil in his veins. When the man opened his mouth to say something else, Danny slammed a fist into it, pulling his arm back to throw another punch at the man. A hand on his elbow stayed him, though, and Danny looked back to find Duke, a sad, yet stern look on his face, and Kono, a hand clapped to her mouth and tears streaming from her eyes.

She shook her head, brushing aside her tears, and suddenly, not even telegraphing her moves, she launched herself at the man, pummeling him with her fists. Danny and Duke pulled her off of the man, but not before she'd gotten several good punches in.

"You sick son-of-a-bitch," Kono said, practically spitting her words. "What did you do to him?"

The man spat out a mouthful of blood, and laughed. "Why don't you ask the ghost?"

"Enough!" Duke shouted when Kono moved to attack the man again.

He was cuffed, and had stopped fighting the officers, but he was grinning, his eyes were still wild and crazy looking. He gave Danny the creeps, and Danny shivered.

"Book him," Duke ordered a junior officer, who nodded. "Not one word of this gets out," he said, spearing the officers with a look that Danny knew took years to perfect. "Question him and find out what happened to Officer Kelly."

The officers nodded, and though Danny could hear them murmuring as they carted their prisoner off, he couldn't quite catch their words. His knee ached, and he'd managed to somehow scrape his elbow in the scuffle. It was bleeding and there were bits of black asphalt stuck in it. It didn't hurt yet, but he knew that it would hurt when the adrenaline wore off. His knuckles were bruised as well. He hadn't thought that he'd hit the man all that hard, but apparently he had.

He exchanged a look with Kono, his heart clenching at the look of pain and desperation he saw in her eyes, and he vowed that, if he had to search through the entirety of Hawaii, he'd find Chin and bring him back.


	6. Permanence

**Disclaimer:** See initial chapter.

**A/N:** Chin is starting to realize that things aren't as they seem, and that he might have a little more to overcome than just possibly being dead.

* * *

"Danno," Grace's voice pulled Chin from an almost sleep, and Chin sighed.

Even dead, he couldn't find rest. He stretched, or tried too. His back ached, hell, his whole body ached, and he ended up in so much pain that he blacked out for a few seconds, losing whatever it was that Grace had said to her father.

_Death shouldn't be so painful_, he thought,_ in limbo or not._

"He's going to be fine," Danny said. "You heard what the vet said, monkey."

Grace heaved a put upon sigh, and Chin felt the world dip and rise. It was almost like being on a roller coaster, but much less exciting and vastly more dizzying. He was disoriented and confused, and he just wanted to rest.

"But, Danno, he looks so sad," Grace said.

"Honey," Danny spoke with the patience of a father who's handled the same issue a hundred times already. "It's going to take time for the cat to heal. The vet gave us some good medicine for the cat and..."

"Danno," Grace's voice took on a plaintive tone. "His name is Sam."

"Fine, _Sam_," Danny emphasized the name, and Chin could imagine seeing Danny roll his eyes. "Sam will be okay. Sam just needs time, and rest, to heal. You should put the cat, Sam, in the bed that we got from the vet. "

"But I want to hold him, and I think he likes being held," Grace said, and once again, Chin's world shifted as Grace walked. He thought that whatever was tethering him to her could at least give him some kind of warning.

Danny sighed. "The cat is not sleeping with you."

"But..." Grace's protest never left her lips. Chin assumed that Danny must've given her one of those looks that could quell even Steve when he was in one of his moods.

"The cat sleeps on its cat bed," Danny said.

Chin wondered who'd win out on that, but wouldn't want to bet on either Williams. Both of them were equally stubborn. Chin wondered about this cat that Grace was so protective of, wished he could get a good look at it and see if it was the cat that he'd seen while Mahaku had been stabbing him.

The only thing he _could _see, at the moment, was fuzzy and indistinct. It was like a blanket had been placed directly in his line of vision. It wasn't any distinct color, rather dull and grayish. Not what he wanted to look at for eternity. He'd rather be looking at Danny.

An eternity of staring into Danny's clear, blue eyes would not be a hardship as far as Chin was concerned. Chin sighed, pushed that thought aside, because it would never come to fruition. Danny would not spend his life pining away for him, and Chin wouldn't want that for the man anyway, even if he and Danny had known each other better in life.

Danny hadn't even known that Chin had been interested in something more than just a collegial relationship. Something that Kono had sought to rectify with this weekend get together that had gone awry.

"Danno, I think he's in pain," Grace said, and Chin felt something constrict around him, like he was being held a little too tight by a giant that was trying to be gentle and yet failing.

"Monkey, I know it's hard to see the cat in pain, but remember what he vet said," Danny's voice was beginning to fade in and out and Chin was finding it difficult to follow the conversation.

"He said that we have to be careful not to give Sam too much medicine," Grace said, her voice a low murmur.

"How about if we let Sam rest, while we fix dinner?" Danny suggested, and Chin thought that was a very good idea. If the cat felt even half as tired and pain-riddled as he did, then the poor animal needed it.

"Can we make grandma's lasagna?" Grace asked, and Chin felt like he was floating through the air. It wasn't so much uncomfortable as it was strange, and he was grateful when it stopped.

"Sure," Danny said, and Chin wondered why he'd never asked Danny to make him lasagna. Why he'd never gathered the nerve to act on his feelings for the man when he'd been fully alive, rather than in this state of half-being.

Chin shifted, and though he ached, it felt dull and far away, like he wasn't even a part of himself anymore, and maybe he wasn't. Maybe this was the next stage of the afterlife. Maybe it would be in this stage that the pain would be completely gone, and then, maybe after that, he'd see Malia, and be reunited with her in death.

This new, slowly born love for Danny would subside, fall away, and Chin would spend the rest of his eternity with Malia by his side. It was a lovely thought, and yet it didn't make him feel at ease, or happy. Instead, it made him feel as though something was missing.

The thought of Malia triggered something in his mind, but it was fleeting, and Chin's mind felt too heavy, too tired to pursue it. He settled down into a comfortable, soft warmth and something inside of him rumbled. It was comforting, even though it was strange. Chin didn't question it.

He closed his eyes, and rested, promising himself that it would be for just a little while, because he wanted to figure out what was going on, see if he could move away from Grace and Danny, though there was a part of him that didn't want to do that.

A part of him wanted to stay with Danny and Grace for as long as he could, even if it meant that he'd never make it to that next stage in the afterlife, and he'd spend all of eternity wandering the earth, following after Danny and Grace until first one, and then the other passed on without him.

Awhile later, Chin wrinkled his nose, and struggled to open his eyes. Struggled to get his feet under him, because there was something in the air that smelled absolutely divine, and it made his stomach gurgle. It was then that he realized that he was hungry. Did the dead hunger?

"Sam, lie still," Grace said. Her tone was scolding. "Danno! Sam is trying to get out of his bed."

"Grace, if the cat wants to get up, we should probably let it," Danny's voice was nearby. It was gentle and soothing.

"But the vet said that he was supposed to rest and that we should keep him from moving around too much."

It was clear to Chin that Grace was worried, and when he finally managed to get his eyes open, he got an eyeful of the little girl, almost literally. All he could see at first was her nose, and then, when he was able to focus his eyes, everything was huge, like he was much too close to what it was that he was trying to look at, or looking through a pair of binoculars. It was unnerving and Chin tried to back away, or dial down his eyesight. It didn't work, and it caused him pain.

"Ooh, poor kitty," Grace said, and her hand – larger than life – loomed in front of Chin's face in a way that was almost terrifying.

Chin didn't know what else to do, so he moved to block Grace's hand, felt the contact and wondered that her hand hadn't gone right through him, because surely he was a ghost, or some kind of spirit version of himself. It was all very disorienting and Chin hissed when a fresh wave of pain stole over him.

Grace pulled her hand away from him with startling speed, and Chin cowered away from it. It was too big, and he was in so much pain that he thought that maybe he wasn't dead after all.

Danny's hand then loomed in front of him, and Chin felt terror that he'd never felt before. A terror he'd never, in a million years, think to associate with Danny. The man's hand was huge and Chin could see thick calluses on it. The hand reached for him, and Chin, thinking only about self-preservation, struck out at it, not understanding what the hell was going on.

"Ouch, damn it!" Danny pulled his hand away from Chin, and sucked at the juncture between his thumb and palm. He was glaring at Chin, his blue eyes dark and smoldering like a storm hovering over the ocean.

Chin's heart was beating so hard and fast that he thought it was going to jump right out of his chest. He was in pain, but he was more afraid of staying where he was than of keeping the pain at a minimum, so he got his legs up under him, and tried to make a run for it.

"Oh no you don't," Danny growled, and he grabbed the back of Chin's neck, holding him in place, even when Chin started struggling against the hold.

"Danno, be careful!" Grace exclaimed. "You're going to hurt him."

"I…I'm going to hurt it?" Danny sputtered. "It just scratched you, Grace, and fu…ouch!" Danny dropped Chin, and Chin cowered away from the very angry man.

Danny was red in the face, and he was now nursing a new wound. His eyes were hard and cold and Chin's body felt like it was on fire. It was hard to breathe, and his heart was beating much too quickly. He looked from Grace to Danny, and it was when Danny reached for him a third time that it all began to sink in, and Chin momentarily stopped breathing from the shock of it.

He wasn't a ghostly bystander stuck between two spiritual planes. That would be easier to accept than this. No, he was the cat that Grace and Danny had rescued on the trail where he'd confronted Mahaku. It was too much to take in, and Chin was frozen to the spot, unable to shrink back when Danny reached for him once more.

He felt Danny's hand close around him. The man wasn't gentle, and Chin couldn't blame him, though it hurt when Danny plucked him off the floor and held him aloft in the air. Even though it was clear that Danny was mad at him, the man didn't hurt him, and some of Chin's fear eased.

He didn't understand how or why he was a cat. Didn't know what to do or how to communicate to Danny who he really was.

_Was this what reincarnation was like?_ Chin wondered, and he realized, belatedly, that Danny was staring him in the eye.

"Okay, cat," Danny said. His voice was sharp and yet kind. "Listen up, I understand that you're in pain and that probably makes you cranky, but, if we're going to get along here, you are going to have to stop scratching and biting me. And never, under any circumstances, are you allowed to scratch Grace. Understand?"

Chin swallowed. Danny's eyes were so bright, so blue, and, at the moment, they were all that he could think about. He knew that Danny had asked him something. That he should answer, assure the man that he wouldn't hurt him, or Grace, but he couldn't think what it was that he should say.

He tried for, "I understand," and the words came out all garbled. It sounded like he was possessed – by a chainsaw. Danny blinked at him, and shook his head. He raised an eyebrow and placed Chin back on the cat bed.

"Danno," Grace said, laughter in her voice. "Sam's a cat. I don't think he understands you."

"Oh, I think that the cat understood me," Danny said. He had a finger pointed in Chin's direction, and waggled it.

Chin was drawn to the finger, like a moth to a flame, and he watched it, tracked its movement with his eyes. Had he felt up to it, he might have launched himself at the finger, Danny's warning aside. It was an odd sort of feeling, and Chin wanted to shake it off, because cat or not, he was still a human. A human trapped in the body of a cat.

A hungry human trapped in the body of a cat. He said as much, and it came out as a mournful, rather crabby sounding meow.

"Grace, go get the fiend his medicine, I'll get him some tuna," Danny said, and Chin's tummy growled in anticipation.

Tuna sounded good. Medicine, on the other hand, didn't, but if it made him feel better, he'd take it.

He settled in the bed, his body aching, muscles feeling sorely abused. Though he didn't understand what was going on, or why he was a cat, he thanked whatever gods had saw fit to place him in the care of Danny Williams. He knew that, even though Danny hated cats, he'd never go out of his way to hurt one, and, with Grace on his side, Chin stood a better chance of staying with Danny, permanently.


	7. Headaches

**Disclaimer:** See initial chapter.

**A/N:** There will be jumps in time, and angst.

* * *

"I understand," Danny said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

In reality, he didn't understand how HPD could spend two weeks looking for a single officer and come up empty. Though, to be fair, he, Steve (now that he was back) and Kono had been combing the area as well, and had not found a trace of their beloved co-worker either.

Hanging up the phone, he reached for the bottle of aspirin that had taken up permanent residence on his desk and palmed four of the little white pills. Unscrewing the cap of a water bottle, he tossed the pills back and drank greedily from the bottle until it was empty. He threw it across the room, narrowly missing the recycle bin, but it banked off the wall, and, wobbling precariously, landed in the bin.

"I still got it," he said, grinning and stretching.

He looked up, toward where Chin would normally be standing, and his heart sank as he realized just how much he missed the man's calming presence; the smiles that he'd send in Danny's direction throughout the course of the day. He felt a familiar pang in the pit of his stomach when he thought about Chin, and he closed his eyes, willing away the headache that had been building up behind his eyes for the past two days.

It had been a rough couple of weeks, and still, there was no word on Chin's whereabouts. Keahu Mahaku had remained firm and steadfast in his claim that a 'bitch ghost' had disappeared with Chin after he'd stabbed the man, repeatedly, intending to kill Chin and then resume what he'd been doing before he'd been imprisoned – killing women.

The man was sick, probably should've been placed in a mental institution, but Danny didn't care. He wanted him dead, wanted to shake the truth out of the man. He wanted Chin back, no matter the cost.

Steve rapped his knuckles on the doorframe, and Danny squinted at him. Though there was a smile on Steve's face, it was strained, and Danny could tell that the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Hey, Kono and I are headed out to lunch," Steve said. "I figure a change of scenery would do all of us a bit of good."

The pressure in Danny's head increased and he closed his eyes, pressed his fingertips against his temples and started massaging them. "Go ahead without me. I've got a bitch of a headache."

"I'll bring you something," Steve said, keeping his voice low.

On his way out, Steve shut off the lights, and Danny eyed the couch in his office longingly, but opted, instead, to lean back in his chair and rest his eyes. With any luck, the aspirin would kick in before Steve and Kono returned from Kamekona's shrimp truck, or wherever it was that they'd gone for lunch.

Steve had taken it upon himself to keep Kono's mind off of her missing cousin, and Danny was grateful for that. He just didn't have the energy for some reason. He didn't fully understand why he felt Chin's loss so keenly, why it felt like there was a piece of him missing.

He yawned, and his jaw cracked. He scrubbed at his cheeks, and gave into the impulse to lie down on his couch. He hadn't slept well over the past week, and the cat that Grace had dragged home had something to do with that, though Danny couldn't blame the creature entirely for his lack of good sleep, because there were also nightmares to blame.

He'd been having them nightly, since Chin had disappeared. In each and every dream, Mahaku was brandishing the knife that Danny had knocked out of his hand during their scuffle. And nightly, Danny was forced to watch from the sidelines as Mahaku plunged the knife over and over into Chin's body until they were both covered in blood.

Unable to move, or cry out, Danny's heart would hammer in his chest, and he'd struggle with whatever force it was that kept him frozen in place, but it was all for nothing. Before Chin died, before Mahaku finished his work, a bright, white light engulfed the two of them, and a beautiful woman who looked familiar, but whom Danny couldn't quite place, would whisk Chin away, leaving Danny behind.

It was then that his voice would work, and he'd scream at the woman; shout at her to bring Chin back. He'd wake sitting up in bed, skin cold and prickly with sweat, the cat staring at him from where it slept at the foot of his bed.

Try as he might, Danny couldn't get the cat to sleep anywhere else, and he blamed Grace for that, because those first couple of nights she'd been worried (and rightfully so) about the cat. Had insisted that it sleep in Danny's room, and then on his bed, so that Danny could keep an eye on it.

After one of Danny's nightmares, the cat would creep over to him, keeping its belly low to the bed. And though Danny wasn't fond of cats, he'd let the cat come to him, and he'd settle back on his pillow, trying to get the ugly images of Chin being stabbed and then swallowed up by light out of his mind.

He'd run his fingers through the cat's soft fur, and fall asleep, listening to the cat's rumbling purr. It was oddly soothing, reminiscent of Chin, and Danny would dream of the man again. His second dream was always different, much more satisfying.

Danny would dream of lying next to Chin, of kissing him, or of making love to him, and he'd wake hard and embarrassed, and have to look away from the cat, take care of himself in the shower. Afterwards, he'd feel hollow and alone, and his heart would ache for what had never been, and what might never be.

He didn't know when he'd fallen in love with Chin. Didn't even know if what he felt for Chin _was_ love, but it certainly seemed like it. When Kono had invited him and Grace to join her and Chin that Saturday – it felt like years ago now – he'd been ecstatic, and nervous, like a school boy going on his first date. It had been ridiculous, and he must've tried on seven different outfits before deciding on the one that he'd ended up wearing. In the end, it hadn't mattered, because Chin had disappeared.

Though Danny needed to, he was hesitant to close his eyes and rest. He was afraid that, if he did, he'd have the nightmare that had been plaguing him, or, that Steve or Kono would walk in on him during one of those other types of dreams.

Neither one was preferable right now, so Danny settled for laying his arm over his eyes and letting it block out what little light seeped in through the closed blinds and the main room. He took several deep, cleansing breaths – something that Chin had taught him a couple of weeks ago when Danny had been stressing out about something he'd had no control over – and focused on something pleasant.

For Chin, it had been a lone, sandy beach, palm trees swaying in a gentle breeze, the scent of plumeria clinging to the air. For Danny, though, it was a cityscape, because that's where he felt most at home. Littered sidewalks, graffiti-covered walls, the scent of hotdogs and pizza from street vendors – all of it was calming to Danny, including the jarring sounds of horns honking and people shouting profanity.

When Danny envisioned his 'pleasant' place today; however, Chin was there with him, and they were holding hands. Chin's hand felt warm and heavy, and _right_, in Danny's. When he turned to look at Chin, to ask him the question that had been gnawing at his gut for the past week, Chin smiled at him, and Danny's heart skipped a beat.

"Where are you, Chin?" Danny asked, his voice nothing more than a soft whisper.

_Closer than you think_, said the Chin that Danny had envisioned.

"Come home," Danny said.

Chin pressed a soft kiss to Danny's cheek, squeezed his hand, and then disappeared, leaving Danny in the middle of a crowded sidewalk, the sound of honking horns making him feel ill-at-ease. Danny removed his arm from his eyes, sat up, and swung his legs down, off the couch.

It was going to be another long day, and night, and Danny feared that it would be that way for the rest of his life. At least he would be able to see Grace tonight, she'd be happy to see the progress that the cat had made. The wound on one of its front legs was almost completely healed now. They'd have a good afternoon, and evening together, and Danny could focus on something else other than the mystery of Chin's disappearance, for a few hours. It would be good for him.


	8. Jealousy

**Disclaimer:** See initial chapter.

**A/N:** Chin is beginning to adjust to his life as a feline, and starting to truly embrace it.

* * *

Chin was instantly awake and alert long minutes before Danny cried out from his nightmare. He was attuned to Danny's rhythms. Awake before the man awoke, anticipating when Danny would open up a new can of tuna, or return from the bathroom with medicine for Chin to take. It had become an easy routine for Chin to fall into. The hardest part of his day, though, was when Danny went to work, leaving him behind.

He longed to go back to work, to heave a shotgun up against his shoulder, chase down bad guys alongside Steve, Danny and Kono, and to locate an address by triangulating the signal from a cell phone.

He missed being human. Missed working. Missed walking on two feet, even though being able to jump up on the kitchen counter – when Danny's back was turned – and jump down, landing with grace and precision, was kind of cool.

Danny never called him the name that Grace had dubbed him with. He only ever called him cat, and Chin was okay with that. He really didn't have much of a choice in the matter anyway.

Chin waited until Danny woke before he went to the man, knowing that if he didn't wait until Danny could see him clearly, he'd risk being inadvertently hurt by a flailing arm. Danny had never hit him, but he'd accidentally struck Chin, once, when he'd been caught up in the throes of a nightmare and Chin had attempted to wake him. Now, though it made his heart hurt, Chin watched Danny, waited until he woke, screaming his name, before going to the man and doing the only thing that he could – be there and, crazy as it was, purr.

"Hey there, cat," Danny said, his voice scratchy from screaming. He scratched behind Chin's ears, and it felt good. Chin purred. "Sorry I woke you again."

Chin tried to convey that it was okay, that he hadn't really been sleeping anyway. He slept most of the day away, waking a few minutes before Danny got home and pacing in front of the door until Danny opened it.

Though he was still in some pain, Chin had grown restless in this body, and found that he just had to move and jump and run. He heard the smallest of sounds, was hyper aware of scents – highly attuned to Danny's odd mixture of the ocean that he claimed to hate, and the cinnamon-sugar of malasadas – and had a keen sense of sight, though the color scheme of his world was a bit off.

He could see Danny clearly in the dark, and he bumped and rubbed his head under Danny's hand when Danny stilled. Danny chuckled, and, liking the sound, Chin rumbled louder, communicating his approval of the sound in the only way that he could.

Danny started scratching Chin's neck, and Chin's eyes began to roll to the back of his head. Danny's fingers were amazing, and Chin almost lost sight of what it was that he wanted to do – comfort Danny. That was his goal, each night that Danny woke up – comfort – and he thought he was doing a fairly good job of it, because Danny would fall asleep, fingers twined in Chin's fur. Danny would wake, hours later, a small smile on his lips, and would hurry off to the bathroom, smelling strongly of sex and malasadas.

Chin tried not to be jealous of whoever it was that Danny was dreaming about after waking from his nightmare. Tried not to be upset that Danny woke up screaming Chin's name in fear and horror from the nightmare he had every night, but that Danny woke up with a happy smile on his face in the mornings, pushing him – the cat – aside without even a glance in his direction.

It didn't seem fair, but Chin doubted that his life as a cat was about fairness. Obviously it was some kind of punishment that he'd have to endure until he'd learned whatever life lesson it was that he was supposed to learn.

Chin sighed, and stretched his back, feeling the slight pull of the stitches in his belly. They'd be coming out soon. Hopefully. And when they did, he'd be almost back to normal. Well, normal for a cat.

"You're a good cat," Danny said, and Chin stilled, his purring momentarily disturbed, because that was, hands down, the nicest thing that Danny had said to him since he'd become a cat. He preened and resumed his purring, and Danny chuckled.

"It's true," Danny said, and he was using the same tone of voice that he'd sometimes use with Grace. Chin purred as loud as he could, nearly drowning out Danny's voice.

"Don't tell Grace I said that, though," Danny whispered. "I'd never hear the end of it."

Chin arched his back so that Danny's fingers would scratch at a particular itch that had been bothering him. He kneaded his claws into the fabric of the comforter, liking the way that his sharp nails dug into it and then released.

He'd caught a mouse earlier that day, and was proud of his accomplishment. He'd left it right in front of the door for Danny to find, and had been surprised when the man had yelled at him. Next time, he'd be sure to find a different spot to place the mouse, so that Danny wouldn't be angry.

Grace had visited earlier that night, and had been very happy with the progress he'd made. She'd held him, and petted him, and Chin had thoroughly enjoyed her company. He wished that he'd had more time with her and Danny when he'd been human.

Maybe that was one of the lessons that he was supposed to learn – taking advantage of the time that you've been given, and not taking life, or its opportunities, for granted. He couldn't help but think that such a lesson was more than just a little lost on a cat.

Chin rubbed up against Danny's side, nuzzled his cheek beneath Danny's chin, and meowed his happiness. This was bliss. Pure and simple. Chin didn't want it to end, wanted to keep Danny with him forever, though he knew that was impossible, and that he'd have to take what he could get – Danny when the man wasn't at work.

Danny yawned and stretched, and Chin tentatively crawled up onto his chest, hoping that Danny wouldn't push him off. He smiled, and purred when Danny let him settle on his chest, and he curled up to sleep, hoping that Danny would have a happy dream.

Chin relished the feel of Danny's fingers in his fur and kept up a steady purr long after Danny had fallen asleep for the second time that night. Tomorrow was Saturday, unless Chin's timing was off, and, that meant that he could have the man to himself.

Chin fell asleep, dreaming of spending time with Danny. Of chasing birds. Of beautiful women and white lights. Of a knife being buried deep into his thigh and twisted. Of cornering a terrified mouse and then gleefully tossing it up in the air and playing with it before finally killing it. Of Kono, weeping over his dead body. Of Danny comforting her. Of Steve calling on Danny early in the morning.

When he woke, he was grouchy, and his body ached. He nipped at Danny's fingers when the man brushed him off his chest on his way to the bathroom. Chin flicked his tail, and jumped off the bed, ran out of the room, and hid beneath the kitchen table, feeling very put out that he'd been the one comforting Danny, but the man would never know that. Would whack off in the shower to whoever it was that he'd been dreaming about when he'd gotten up that morning.

He was angry and confused, and spitting mad when Steve –he recognized the man's footfalls – knocked on the door shortly after Danny had finished showering. He rammed his head behind Steve's knee and wound his way around the man's ankles when he entered the house and tried to navigate his way to Danny's living room.

"Danny," Steve called. "A little help here."

Danny walked into the living room, clad only in a towel, and Chin hissed at Steve, dug his nails into the man's shin, and then darted out of the room like a bat out of hell when Danny yelled at him. Chin hid beneath one of the tables, and watched, with mild satisfaction, as Steve limped over to the couch and sat down on it, wincing.

"That darn cat," Danny exclaimed. "Sorry, Steve. I don't know what's gotten into him. He was fine last night. Since that one time, when he'd been drugged up and scared, he hasn't bitten or scratched me or Grace."

"That's okay, Danno," Steve said, he rubbed at his shin, and Chin narrowed his eyes at the man.

Steve's eyes were on Danny, specifically where the towel hung low on Danny's hips. Chin wanted another go at Steve, but Danny was in the way, and he doubted that Danny would tolerate him much longer if he attacked Steve again.

Maybe, later, if he was careful, he could 'accidentally' trip Steve as the man made his way out the front door. Chin purred a little as he formulated a plan to keep Steve from making any more visits to Danny's home when Danny was so scantily clad. It would be tricky, but Chin was certain that he could pull it off.

Chin kept an eye on Steve, and stealthily worked his way around the living room when Danny left to change into something more suitable than a towel. Chin smiled to himself, and scooted beneath the couch. There was just enough room, if he squeezed and held his breath just a little. He maneuvered until he was directly behind Steve's ankles, and then, before Danny had returned from the bedroom, Chin attacked.

Steve screamed in a rather unmanly fashion, and tried to pull his ankle away, but Chin held fast, dug his claws in as deep into Steve's flesh as he could. Once he started, he couldn't seem to stop.

There was a voice at the back of his mind which cautioned Chin that this might not be such a good idea, another voice that tried to remind him that Steve was his friend, and yet another voice that told him that this could potentially backfire, putting him in the proverbial doghouse. But the biggest voice of all – that of a certain green monster – kept all of the other voices in the background where they were easy to ignore.

"Fuck, ow, holy sh –" Steve shouted.

He reached down, beneath the couch and hauled Chin out from underneath it by the scruff of his neck. The Navy SEAL scowled at him and shook him, and Chin's eyes grew wide, he tried to backpedal, but his paws met nothing except for air. Panicking, Chin yowled, and hissed, and did his best to gain the upper hand, but Steve's grip was strong, and he held Chin out at arm's length.

When Danny walked into the living room, Chin was a squirming, spitting, howling mess, and he was more determined than ever to get back at Steve for putting him in such an undignified position. The look on Danny's face was a mixture between amusement and anger; Chin guessed that the anger was directed solely at him, and scrambled even more earnestly against Steve's grip to get free.

"What the hell happened?" Danny's hands moved lightning-quick, plucking Chin – whose legs were still wind milling in an attempt to find purchase where there simply wasn't any – from Steve's ironclad grip.

Chin's heart stopped beating for a split second, and he flattened his ears on the top of his head. His heart started beating again, but at a much faster pace. Judging by the look on Danny's face, he was in deep shit. He held completely still, tail curling and feet curling up as Danny held him by the scruff of his neck, and gave him a look that meant business.

"That is not a cat," Steve said, pointing a finger in Chin's direction, and clutching at his injured ankle with his other hand. "That's a demon."

Danny rolled his eyes at Steve, and gave Chin a sobering look. "Steven, it's just a cat. Cats are notorious for going after bare feet, and ankles. Next time, wear socks or, better yet, just keep your shoes on. No need to stand on formality here. And as for you," Danny said, addressing Chin, who, out of the corner of his eye, could see a much chagrined Steve pouting.

"You are not going to get a treat today."

Steve stopped poking at his ankle and turned to give Danny an incredulous look, his mouth gaping open in a fashion that Chin thought made him look rather dense. Not that he was being petty or anything.

"What?" Danny asked, the hand not holding Chin cut through the air.

"That's it. That little devil cuts up my ankle like a hacksaw, and all you're going to do is not give him a treat?" Steve asked.

Danny shrugged. "It's a cat, Steven. Cats aren't big on manners, and they aren't like dogs. Scolding it isn't going to get me very far, and if I lock it into the bathroom or my bedroom, I'll come back to a shoe full of shit, or pee on one of my favorite shirts. It probably sensed that you're not a cat person, and is just trying to make friends."

Steve looked at Danny like he thought the man might be certifiable, and Chin growled at him. Danny tsked, and Chin turned his attention away from Steve who was beginning to annoy him.

"_You're _not a cat person, Danno," Steve said. "I don't see him attacking you like you're some kind of glorified cat pole."

Danny sighed and with a quelling look that Chin took to heart, he set Chin on the floor, carefully standing in between Chin and Steve. When Danny finally let him go, Chin dashed to his earlier hiding place beneath the end table, where he could still keep an eye on Steve.

"What can I say? Animals and kids like me." Danny had a wide grin on his face, and Steve shook his head.

"You gonna keep it?" Steve jerked his head in Chin's direction, and Chin narrowed his eyes at the man and growled low in his throat.

Danny shrugged. "Grace would be devastated if I didn't."

Chin's heart sank, even though he knew that Danny didn't really like cats, he'd hoped, foolishly perhaps, that Danny would like him. That there'd be some part of Danny which would recognize that he wasn't an ordinary cat. That there was something special about him.

Chin hunkered down beneath the end table, tucking his tail around him. He watched Danny and Steve, his heart sinking even further when Danny helped Steve sit down on the couch so that he could tend to the man's ankle.

Feeling sorry for himself, Chin glowered at Steve, and continued to plot the man's demise, or at least a way that he could get rid of him so that he could have Danny all to himself.

Clearly injuring the man wasn't going to do the trick, all it did was put Steve in closer proximity to Danny. Chin had to think outside of the box if he was going to cut Steve out of Danny's home life.


	9. Slippery Hope

**Disclaimer:** See initial chapter.

**A/N:** This one is short. Just a glimpse of what is going on in Danny's heart and head. Just a reminder that this is a supernatural love story; it's a little sappy, I'm afraid.

* * *

"There, you're as good as new," Danny declared after he'd finished patching up Steve, who was still glaring in the direction the cat had disappeared in.

He'd cleaned the cat scratches on Steve's ankle – they were deeper than he'd thought they'd be – knowing that if they were to get infected, Steve could get sick. He'd then wrapped Steve's ankle loosely in gauze. It was the only thing he'd had that would cover the entire area. The cat had really gotten him good.

He patted Steve's thigh as he stood, and bit back a groan when his knee protested the movement. It had been three weeks, to the day, when he'd tackled the man who'd claimed to have stabbed Chin, and Danny's knee still ached. He was determined not to go to the doctor about it, though, certain that the problem would eventually fix itself.

Fact was, he didn't want to be forced to take any time off. Without Chin around, they were short a man, and, more than that, Danny couldn't stand the thought of not being able to help with the investigation into Chin's disappearance. He wanted to find Chin.

The cat growled at Steve when he stood, and, though he knew that it was wrong, Danny laughed, and the cat gave out a self-satisfied sounding meow. Steve scowled at the cat, and Danny shrugged when his friend looked at him.

"We're meeting Kono at the falls," Steve said. "We're going to try to retrace Chin's steps as best as we can; see if we can't find something that HPD missed."

They'd done this before, multiple times, but Steve was adamant that something had been missed, and was determined to go over the scene again. The entire park, nearby beach and woods, had been combed, and they hadn't found anything new. Danny was starting to give up hope that they would find a single shred of evidence, other than the man's phone and the bloody paw print, but he merely nodded, and reached down to pat the cat on its head when it butted against the back of his knee, and started rubbing Danny's leg and purring.

When Steve turned toward him and went to walk by him, the cat hissed, and Steve stopped in his tracks. The man and the cat seemed to glare at each other, and Danny shook his head at the two of them.

"We'll have to take Kono out somewhere, afterward, get her mind off of all of this for a little while," Danny said.

If Danny wasn't mistaken, the cat seemed to perk up at that. It flicked its tail, and made one of its almost silent meows. It seemed to look right at Danny, making him shiver, and Danny looked away from it in favor of following Steve out the front door.

He hoped that they'd make a breakthrough today. That they'd find Chin, maybe lost and wandering in the nearby woods, a mild head injury the explanation for why he hadn't contacted anyone or returned to them yet. He nearly slammed the door shut on the cat who'd followed him, silently, and gestured for the feline to go back inside, petting it beneath it's chin when it seemed to sigh and frown at him.

"Go on inside now," Danny said, ignoring the irritated and impatient sound that Steve made, and the ensuing hiss from the cat. "I'll be back later today," Danny promised the cat, and he flicked Steve off when the man smirked at him as he made his way over to the waiting car.

His phone rang, the ring tone indicating that it was Duke calling. Danny frowned at his phone wondering why Duke was calling him on a Saturday, and answered before it could go to voice mail.

"Duke?" Danny gestured for Steve to stay quiet when the man opened his mouth to ask a question. Steve crossed his arms over his chest, and waited, the same impatient look on his face that he'd had when Danny was dealing with the cat.

Danny shook his head, and gripped his phone tighter as Duke explained the reason for his call. He had to bite his tongue to keep the string of curse words that were on the tip of it from spilling forth. Duke was only the messenger, and it wouldn't be fair for Danny to go off on him about this. It wasn't his fault, after all.

"Thanks, Duke," Danny said, resigned, deflating a little at what he'd heard. "I appreciate the heads up. No, Steve's here, I'll tell him. We're going to meet Kono at Waimaea Falls. We'll tell her together," Danny promised, and then he hung up and faced Steve.

"What was that about?" Steve's brow was furrowed, and he absentmindedly rubbed at one of the scratch marks the cat had left on his leg.

"Keahu Mahaku killed himself early this morning," Danny said. "According to one of the guards, he'd seen that 'bitch ghost' again, and she spooked him –"

"Enough to make the man kill himself?" Steve shook his head and clenched his fists.

"Apparently," Danny said bitterly.

With Mahaku dead, there was little chance of them getting a real lead on Chin's whereabouts, or an answer as to what had really happened to Chin that day three weeks ago. Danny doubted that Mahaku's account of a ghost spiriting Chin away was what really happened. He closed his eyes and rested against the side of the car, an unbidden image of the cat came to the forefront of his mind, but he pushed it aside in favor of focusing on what needed to be done today.

Danny felt his headache returning, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He gestured for Steve to get them on the road, and, once he was in the passenger's seat, he closed his eyes, tried not to let the images from his recurrent nightmare wash over him, and hoped to god that they'd finally catch a break.

"We'll find him, Danny," Steve said quietly, placing a hand on Danny's forearm.

"I hope so," Danny murmured. _For Kono's sake…and mine._

"I have a feeling that we're going to find something today," Steve said, voice full of hope that Danny just wasn't feeling.

Danny ignored the feeling of unease that had settled in the pit of his stomach, as well as the constant barrage of images that seemed to want to parade through his mind - of Chin, of the bedraggled looking cat when Grace had discovered it, of Mahaku, knife glinting in his hand... He would have to muster some kind of hope, like Steve, when they met Kono. She was strong, and wasn't sitting on the sidelines, crying over the loss of her cousin, but Danny could tell that the loss of Chin was wearing on her with every passing day. Hell, it was wearing on him.

"You okay, Danno?" Steve's voice sounded far away and overly concerned.

Danny waved a hand between them and shrugged. His head hurt, and he couldn't stop picturing Chin – alive, well, a huge grin on his face, and the damn cat going after Steve's ankle like it was a mouse. Danny wondered if they'd find Chin that way, happy and smiling, or if the picture of Chin that plagued his nightmares night after night was a much more accurate depiction of the missing man than the one that was currently invading his thoughts.

"You'll see," Steve said, and Danny could imagine the wistful look on Steve's face. "Today will be the day."

If only Danny could believe him.


	10. Acceptance

**Disclaimer:** See initial chapter.

**A/N:** Chin's starting to accept his new life, and is ready to move on. He thinks.

* * *

"Danno," Grace's voice was plaintive, and Chin wrapped himself around the leg of the chair that she was sitting on.

He liked being near Grace when it was mealtime; she almost always dropped food to the floor for him. If he was going to live out the rest of his days on this particular earthly plane as a cat, this was definitely the way to do it. Tonight's dinner was steak, potatoes, and broccoli, which he didn't like as much as he did the steak.

"What is it, monkey?" Danny's voice lacked its usual enthusiasm, and Chin raised his head, tilting it a little so that he could take a look at his favorite human. He didn't like what he saw, and, though Grace would undoubtedly drop him another piece of perfectly proportioned steak, he left his coveted position in favor of getting a closer look at Danny.

Chin had finally given up on trying to communicate who he really was with Danny. No amount of attempting to spell his name out using the newspaper, or positioning himself on the laptop keyboard as Danny sat down to work had gotten him anywhere. All it did was frustrate Danny, and mess up what he'd been trying to read and work on. Chin wondered, almost idly, if most cats weren't like him, humans trapped in cat form, desperately trying to communicate their trapped situation through whatever means necessary. It would certainly explain a lot, Chin thought, but he didn't have time to consider that right now, he had to find out what was bothering Danny, and help the man through whatever it was.

"What's wrong?" Grace asked the question that had been on Chin's mind, and she slipped a piece of steak onto the floor, Chin would get it later.

"Nothing, monkey. I'm just thinking," Danny said, though both Chin and Grace could hear the lie in his tone of voice.

The man had grown despondent during the past couple of days. His nightmares hadn't gotten any worse, but they hadn't gotten any better either, though, the dreams that he had afterward, with Chin curled up on top of him, purring away like a motorboat, had gotten slightly more intense. Chin could smell the man's arousal well before Danny woke, and it made him insanely jealous, which was more than just a little ridiculous, given the current circumstances.

Danny didn't even like cats, and, well, he didn't exactly know that the cat he'd been bamboozled (by his very persistent daughter) into taking care of, was Chin. It wasn't fair. But, as the saying went, life wasn't fair.

Chin eyed the edge of the kitchen table carefully, knowing that he'd probably get into trouble for what he was about to do, but not caring, because, he had to get a better look at Danny. He swished his tail back and forth on the floor as he calculated the distance from the floor to the top of the table, and how much force it would take for him to reach it, without ending up clinging to the edge of the table with his claws and embarrassing himself.

Satisfied with his calculations – and wondering why it was so much easier to do math as a cat, than it had been when he was human – he hunched down on the floor, wriggled around until he was in position, and then launched himself upward and forward. It was a thing of beauty, and he landed squarely in front of Danny's plate. Well, actually almost _on top_ of Danny's plate, but he wasn't going to complain, at least he hadn't wound up dangling from the edge of the table.

Grace laughed, and, playing it cool, not wanting to get too excited about what he had just done, Chin tried to appear aloof and made a show of licking his left paw. He caught the murderous look that Danny sent his way out of the corner of his eye, and met the man's angry gaze head on, tongue stuck between his teeth mid-lick.

Danny's hand moved toward him, in a brushing motion, and Chin, unsure of what to do, reached out and swiped a piece of steak off of Danny's plate, stabbing it with his sharp claws, and taking it down to the floor with him. It wasn't what he'd wanted to do, at all, but something – instinct maybe – had overtaken him, and he'd been helpless to resist it. Maybe he was really becoming a full-fledged cat, and he'd start to lose some of his human memories.

The thought was both sobering, and exciting, at the same time. Chin didn't want to forget himself, or forget about Danny and Grace, Kono or Steve, but he didn't see what choice he had in the matter, especially as his attempts at trying to communicate with Danny had proved utterly fruitless. It might be easier, in the long run, if he did forget about them – forget about what he and Danny had never had – so that he could enjoy life as a cat, and let Danny find happiness with Steve, or whoever the man was dreaming about in the wee hours of the morning.

"Naughty, Sam," Grace scolded, but, being spoken through a series of giggles, her words held no heat, and Chin fairly preened at her unspoken praise as he chewed on the stolen steak.

"Stupid cat," Danny said, his words holding much more weight and making Chin's heart sink. He slunk underneath the table, picking up the piece of meat that Grace had dropped for him as he went. No matter how chastised he felt, he couldn't pass up a good piece of steak.

"Oh no you don't," Danny said, and he reached beneath the table, plucked Chin up, none too gently, and walked him over to the entrance of the kitchen. He tossed Chin into the living room, and wagged a warning finger at him when Chin turned back toward the kitchen.

"Out," was all that Danny said; cheeks red, blue eyes hard, like steel.

Chin, not wanting to risk facing Danny's true wrath, decided that he'd best stay in the living room, for the time being. He'd have to figure out what was bothering Danny later.

"You didn't hurt him, did you, Danno?" Grace's voice drifted through the living room, and, satisfied that Grace would keep Danny's anger toward him at bay, Chin settled himself on his favorite spot beneath the coffee table.

His belly was full, and he was more content than he'd been in a long time. His most recent visit to the vet – a couple of days ago – had given him a clean bill of health. His injuries were healed, and Chin was in the clear. He'd survived his altercation with Mahaku, and now he could get down to the business of living.

Chin closed his eyes, and sighed. _I could get used to this_, he thought, ignoring the pang of regret in his gut that he'd never gotten the opportunity to express his feelings for Danny when he'd been a man, and that his attempts at expressing them to Danny, as a cat, had fallen flat.

He drifted off to sleep to the sound of Danny's and Grace's voices as they talked about their plans for the weekend. His ear twitched when Danny mentioned going to Steve's for a barbecue and maybe taking a dip in the ocean. Chin would miss things like that, but he was ready. Ready to move on to the next life and whatever it had in store for him.


	11. New Nightmare

**Disclaimer:** See initial chapter.**  
**

**A/N:** Danny dreams, and it's not like all of his other dreams.

* * *

_Chin's face was twisted in pain, the knife biting into his flesh was being twisted, and the man cried out for Danny, though there was no sound – it was like watching a horror movie with the TV on mute. _

_Danny could read the man's lips, though. Could see the pain etched in his eyes. Could see Chin reach out for him, fingers coated with blood, begging, silently, for Danny to save him, but Danny was rooted to the spot. His own voice stuck in his throat, his lips and mouth too dry to make a sound. _

"_Chin," he mouthed. "Don't die."_

_Chin's eyes ate at his soul. _

_Dark. _

_Empty. _

_Lifeless. _

_Chin's lips were pale and grey slightly parted in death. Flies swarmed around his bloated flesh; maggots crawled around inside the knife wounds. It was ugly, and Danny wanted to look away, but he couldn't._

_Kono stood off to the side, the back of one hand was pressed to her mouth, the other was pointing right at Danny's heart. Her eyes were hard and accusing. They pierced through Danny._

_Steve stood beside Kono, arms crossed over his chest. The man shook his head – disappointed in Danny._

_And this wasn't how this dream was supposed to go. _

_He was supposed to wake up now. _

_Was supposed to wake up and start dreaming about other things, better things: Chin, naked, body glistening with sweat, the corner of his lips upturned, almost like a cat's smug grin. Chin, wet and hard, fingers wrapped around the both of them, touching and moving and making Danny squirm, beg for more. Chin, biting, nipping, teeth gnashing, tongue making Danny shiver. _

'_C'mon, wake up, Danny,' he thought, and, for good measure, he pinched himself._

_Feeling nothing, he scowled, and tried to turn away from Kono, Steve, and Chin and their accusing eyes, but he was good and stuck, and there were now maggots teeming in Chin's dead, near colorless eyes. _

_Flies buzzed around Danny's head, making him dizzy. There was a cloying smell in the air, clogging Danny's nostrils, making it hard for him to breathe. He fell to his knees, and still, felt nothing. _

_Grace suddenly appeared in his dream, the cat clutched firmly to her chest. They both stared at Danny. Grace's eyes were wide and filled with pity, her lips were pressed tightly together, and there was a single tear trailing down her cheek. The cat gave him a sympathetic, almost human look, a look that reminded Danny of Chin. _

_And he wanted to wake up. _

_Wanted to start dreaming of making out, of touching, of fucking. Of anything but this. _

_The buzzing grew louder, more distinct, and Danny waved his hand at the persistent fly, smacking Chin's dead body, and finally feeling something other than anger and sorrow and guilt. Chin's mouth opened, and flies flew out, and the resultant buzzing was deafening. _

'_Wake up,' Danny shouted over the roar. 'Wake the fuck up.'_

_But, he didn't wake. _

_Instead, Mahaku materialized out of thin air. He was a rotting corpse – rope burns red and puffy around his neck, arm outstretched, finger pointing toward a tree off to the right of where he stood. _

_The man's eyes were dead, dull, and Danny could see Hell reflected in them – fire and brimstone – fear, and pain. Flesh melted off the man's body, and his mouth was twisted, and open in a silent, perpetual scream. _

_Somehow, it wasn't enough, though, not for Danny, not for what Mahaku had done to Chin and all of those women that he'd killed._

_There was a chain of human bones, wrapped around the man's left ankle, and it was a bloody, festering mess. _

_Danny, compelled, followed the man's bony finger, his eyes drawn, of their own accord, toward the tree the dead man was pointing at. Its trunk was huge, gnarled, and pockmarked with man-made etchings – a heart with an arrow piercing it; two lover's names and a date; a sloppy, lopsided peace-sign…_

_His heart stopped beating, and he held his breath. There – clothed in a gown of the purest white that Danny had ever seen, illuminated by a light so bright that it made Danny's eyes water – stood Malia. She was beautiful, unchanged in death, save for the angelic grace that seemed to emanate from her. _

_She smiled at him. Danny's heart thundered in his chest and he could breathe again. _

'_Why?' he mouthed. _

'_I couldn't bear the thought of losing him,' Malia said, though her lips didn't move. 'Danny, he's safe now. He's yours. Take care of him?'_

_Danny, unable to work his mouth properly, nodded. He had a million questions, and yet just one that pushed its way to the surface of his mind. One question, that, should it be answered the way he hoped it would, he'd hinge the rest of his life on._

'_The how and the why of it do not matter,' Malia said, and she touched Danny's face with the palm of her hand. _

_Warmth and peace spread through him, and everything, except for the light, faded away. _

'_What matters is that he's safe now,' Malia said. 'I can set him free.'_

_Danny's ears were flooded with buzzing. It was loud, persistent, and he was torn between staying with Malia, and listening to the beckoning call of the maddening buzz. _

'_Let him know that you love him,' she whispered. 'He loves you, too. I give you both my blessing.'_

_Malia kissed him on the cheek. _

_And then, she was gone. _

_The buzzing was alarmingly loud, and Danny looked for the source of it, but it was dark. Malia had taken the light with her. _

_He shivered, though he wasn't cold. _

_He closed his eyes, tried pinching himself, and when he felt nothing, he opened his eyes, hoping that the act would cast him from his dream, that he'd finally be awake. _

_But, sitting directly in front of him, was the cat. It had a peculiar look on its face, one that Danny couldn't quite place, though he had a feeling that he should be able to._

'_Danny?' the cat said, and Danny took a step back._

_It was Chin's voice._

_The buzzing drowned out the sound of Danny's racing heart, and he could feel the vibrations of it in his chest. _

'_It's the cat,' Danny thought. 'Grace's cat.'_

'_Danny, wake up,' the cat said, using Chin's voice, and it took a step toward him._

'_The cat's purring,' Danny thought, backing away from the cat. 'Time to wake up.'_

_The cat stopped, sat, and stared at him. The buzzing increased in intensity, and Danny felt like it was he who was buzzing. _

'_No more late night snacks,' Danny muttered, wondering when he'd wake. This dream had gone on for far too long. It was time for it to end. _

And, just like that, he woke, sitting up, panting, and disturbing the cat which had been sitting on his chest.

Danny ran a hand through his hair. Tried to get his breathing and racing heart under control. Tried to dispel the disturbing images of his dream from his mind.

Light flashed before his eyes, blinded him momentarily, and, when he could see again, Danny's breath caught in his throat.


	12. Tuna Anyone?

**Disclaimer:** See initial chapter.

**A/N:** Cheesy ending. Or, maybe I should say fishy ending?

* * *

Chin was alarmed. Danny was clearly caught up in a terrible nightmare – his hands fisted in the sheets, body twisting and turning, sweat beading his brow – and Chin couldn't wake him.

No matter how loud he purred, or what he did to try to rouse the man, nothing seemed to be working.

He'd been abruptly woken from a rather pleasant dream – walking in a meadow of daisies with Malia – by a groan from Danny, and had immediately done what he usually did to try to wake the man. He sat on Danny's chest and purred.

It didn't work.

As Danny continued to mutter and moan, eyes moving rapidly beneath the closed lids, Chin started to worry that Danny wouldn't wake. He knew that it was a ridiculous worry, because certainly, Danny would have to wake at some point in time. The man hadn't fallen into a coma after all.

The intensity of Danny's nightmare grew, and so did Chin's anxiety. He batted at the man's face, butted the man's chin with his head, nipped at Danny's lips. All of it was to no avail.

Just as Chin was despairing of ever being able to wake the man, Malia appeared, suddenly, out of thin air. She hovered next to the bed, a smile that seemed to radiate through the entire room, on her lips.

She was just like he remembered her in the forest. Beautiful, haloed in light, wrapped in a gown of white that suited her perfectly.

"Chin," Malia's voice was melodic. "It's okay. It's time now," she said.

Chin wondered at her words, looked at Danny. The man's brow was puckered, his lips moving silently. Chin wanted to bat at them, bite them, pull the man bodily from sleep.

"Chin," she said. "Time for you to wake up."

She touched Chin, and Danny's eyes flew open, he sat up, dispelling Chin, making his fur stick up on end. He bristled, tried to get his fur back in good order, tried to make sense of Malia's words.

"It's time, Chin," Malia repeated.

She pressed a kiss to his forehead, and suddenly the room was bathed in light.

Chin felt bodiless.

Darkness descended on the room, then. It was swift, and all-encompassing. Chin wondered if he'd gone blind.

The world spun, rapidly and out of control, and Chin wondered if any of this was real, if he was real.

It spun, and spun, and then it spit him out.

Re-birthed.

Skin on fire.

Lungs laboring to take in a single breath.

Heart struggling to find a steady rhythm.

He was cold-hot.

His body ached. His bones melted to nothing, and then re-grew themselves inside of him, stretching his skin.

And it was painful.

He screamed, the sound reverberating in the universe, and landing on deaf ears.

And, as quickly as it all started, it stopped, though the dizziness remained, making Chin feel as though he was stuck inside of a whirlpool.

Naked.

Shivering.

Covered in sweat.

Chin blinked, struggled to open his eyes.

Blue – sapphire-pure – engulfed his vision when he finally managed to pry them open.

"Chin?" Danny's voice was distant, uncertain.

Warmth embraced him.

Arms around him, pulling him close.

Kisses.

Danny's lips guiding him back to the world that Chin thought he'd left behind for good.

"Danny?" The word stuck in his throat, sounded like a hissed growl, and Danny chuckled.

"Chin, is it really you?" Danny asked.

Chin nodded. At least, he thought he did.

"Yeah," he said gruffly.

He was ill-used to his voice, wondered if everything had been a dream. If the past month, or however long it was that he'd been a cat, had been all in his head.

"Fuck," Danny said; his voice soft and husky. "Fuck, Chin…I…we…I thought we'd lost you."

A rather put-out sounding meow issued from the foot of the bed, and both Chin and Danny turned toward it. Chin couldn't help but notice the firm grip that Danny had on him, how their bodies were twined together, Chin's sprawled on top of Danny's. He was naked, but felt no shame.

There, at the foot of the bed, on its haunches, sat a cat. It was the same cat that Chin had seen when Mahaku had tried to kill him. The cat narrowed its eyes at them and huffed. It stood on all fours, flicked its tail, and with another huff it spun around in a circle, twisting this way and that, until, all at once, it curled up in a ball, tucking its head in close to its body with its paws.

"Sam," Chin whispered, remembering Grace's name for the cat – for him.

He felt dizzy, and closed his eyes, felt Danny's hold on him tighten. It felt good, and safe, and Chin wondered if any of this was real.

"Sleep," Danny whispered, lips brushing against Chin's ear, breath warm and comforting, even as it tickled the back of Chin's neck. "We'll figure this out in the morning.

The cat started purring. The rumble familiar and comforting to Chin. He could almost feel it issuing from inside of him, but knew that it wasn't him. Not anymore.

He didn't know what had happened. Didn't know if he really had been a cat. Or, if he'd never actually, until this moment, been a man.

Maybe he'd always been a cat, and had, by some twist of fate, somehow been granted the privilege of becoming a man. Chin felt a little like he was sure Pinocchio had felt when he'd become a real boy, leaving his former body behind.

Disoriented, and exceedingly happy.

"Thank you, Danny," Chin said, the words not fully expressing what he'd wanted them to.

"Shh." Danny kissed him. "Let's sleep. See if this is real in the cold light of morning," Danny suggested.

Part of Chin was afraid to sleep. Afraid that, in the morning, he'd wake up, curled in a tight ball at the foot of Danny's bed, still nothing more than a cat. That, all of this would be nothing more than a dream.

But, his eyelids grew heavy, and impossible to keep open, and before he knew it, morning light was seeping in through the slats in Danny's blinds. He roused, and stretched, his back cracking.

A mournful, drawn out meow made him shiver, and Chin didn't want to wake up. Didn't want to open his eyes to find out that last night had been nothing more than a cruel dream orchestrated by the gods.

"Chin?" Danny's voice broke through his thoughts, and Chin opened his eyes.

"Danny?"

Danny smiled, and Chin realized that he was still very much a man. That he'd survived the night in Danny's arms, and woken up in almost the same exact position, though there were a few notable differences. He could feel Danny's erection poking him in the thigh; his own erection was pressed tight against his belly.

"You're real," Danny said, his voice filled with awe.

Chin was a little in awe himself. "Yeah," he breathed the word out.

"How –"

Needy, Chin cut Danny's question off with a kiss, turning so that he was straddling Danny, their erections touching. Neither of them lasted long, and, when Chin collapsed on top of Danny, spent and breathing hard, he half-wondered if it had been real. If anything was real.

They slept, or napped, or maybe just passed out. Woke minutes, hours, days later, marveling at the fact that nothing had changed. That Chin was still a man. That they were sticky with cum.

They finally got out of bed, showered, and fed the cat, which looked much healthier than it had when Chin had first seen it. The cat wound itself around Chin's feet as he walked, butted the back of Chin's ankle with its head. Meowed, and purred in contentment when Chin scratched behind its ears.

"Thanks," Chin whispered to the cat, when Danny was out of earshot.

The cat meowed, and nipped at Chin's fingers, arched its back and went to curl up beneath the coffee table, in Chin's favorite spot.

Chin didn't know what the future had in store for him and Danny. Didn't know what he'd tell Kono and Steve about what had happened, and why he'd disappeared, why he'd been gone so long.

His face grew red when he thought about Steve, and he nearly growled at the thought of the man setting foot in Danny's house. It was ridiculous, and Chin tried to shake the remnants of jealousy that had somehow remained intact even though he was no longer a cat.

"You hungry?" Danny asked.

He was standing in the door of the kitchen, a can of unopened tuna in one hand, a can opener in the other. His eyes sparkled with laughter, and Chin couldn't help but join him in it.

Whatever the future held for him, he was certain that it would include Danny. He wasn't going to make the same mistakes that he'd made with Malia. Not this time.

"Not for tuna," Chin purred, and he stalked toward Danny, muscle memory from his time as a cat making him more graceful than he'd been before.


	13. Epilogue

**Disclaimer:** See initial chapter.

**A/N:** Because someone asked for an epilogue. Thank you for those who've read and supported this story. Your support has been invaluable. Thanks for joining me on this crazy little journey with the supernatural. I hope you enjoy the epilogue, though not everything is answered, because, personally, while all of it is answered in my head, I think that some things should remain a mystery.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Steve said, holding a hand up when Chin opened his mouth to defend himself.

"You were that cat?" Steve pointed at the cat which was currently lolling at his feet, idly licking a paw. The cat stretched, laid a paw on Steve's foot and started purring.

Chin looked away and grimaced. "Yeah, look Steve, I'm..."

"Save it," Steve said, and Chin chanced a look at him. The man was smiling as he scratched behind the cat's ears.

"I can't even begin to understand what you went through." He raised his head to look at Chin, eyes serious, and forgiving.

Chin and Danny had already talked about it, at length, and there were so many things that Chin wasn't able to answer about what had happened to him that it was almost laughable. Danny had explained, what he could, to Steve and Kono about what had happened, and how he'd found Chin (minus the waking up naked in Danny's bed) but there were still some pretty large gaps. Chin figured that maybe that's how it was supposed to be, that there were some things that happened in the supernatural world which simply could not be explained, and shouldn't. If they were explained, it would take some of the mystery out of life.

"What I don't get," Kono said, rolling the neck of a beer bottle between her fingers, not looking at any of them, "is why you didn't try to communicate with us. I mean, you could've scratched out the letters of your name in a newspaper, or -"

"Typed my name out on the laptop? Or fetched Danny's phone and scrolled to my picture?" Chin finished wryly, shaking his head, and taking a sip of his own beer.

He and Danny were hosting a barbecue at Danny's place, and Chin was starting to wish that he could take Sam's place at Steve's feet. It was tough explaining what he'd been through. He didn't fully understand it himself. Danny was in the kitchen, fetching dessert, a tiramisu that Grace had helped them make the night before, and coffee.

"I'm not sure I can explain it to you," Chin said, eyes focused on a picture of Danny and Grace that sat on the coffee table.

Both were smiling, though Danny's smile looked a little forced, and his eyes were focused on the squirming cat that Grace held in her arms. It looked ready to jump from her arms and sprint off.

Chin hoped that the next time he was in a family picture with Danny and Grace, it wouldn't be as a disgruntled feline. He remembered that day, how he hadn't wanted to be held, because his attempts at communicating with Danny had been fruitless, and had only led to the both of them becoming frustrated with each other, and Chin banished from Danny's bedroom.

"By the time I was well enough to do any of that, weeks had passed, and all of my efforts, when I did attempt to communicate, seemed to be in vain. I just figured that I was supposed to move on, that I'd been given a gift, and if I didn't accept it, well..." Chin raised the beer to his lips and drank, relishing the bitter taste of it.

"I'm sorry, Chin, it's just..." Kono's voice broke and she looked away, took a swig of her beer.

"We thought you were dead," Steve said. The cat jumped onto his lap, nearly causing Steve to drop his beer. The cat butted Steve's chin and rubbed up against him. Steve sputtered and frowned, but before he could shove the cat off of him, it settled itself firmly on his lap.

"What I don't get is why Sam is suddenly being so friendly with me," Steve's voice was filled with no small amount of wonder. "I mean, if you were really a cat all that time, this cat, then why -"

"Relax, super SEAL," Danny interrupted smoothly, placing the dessert tray on the coffee table and sitting beside Chin, thighs touching. Chin gave Danny a grateful grin and Danny laid a hand on his knee, winking.

"Enough of that, you too!" Kono complained, sticking her tongue out, exchanging her beer with a cup of coffee and a plate of tiramisu. She leaned back in her seat and moaned almost obscenely as she took a bite of the Italian confectionery.

Steve eyed both of them speculatively, absentmindedly stroking the cat's back. Danny took Chin's beer and handed him a coffee. Chin leaned against Danny and sipped at his coffee with a content smile on his face.

Steve's lips twisted upward in a smirk and he laughed. He slapped at his knee, a knowing gleam in his eyes.

"You were jealous," he said, pointing a finger at Chin and disturbing the cat, who nipped at Steve's outstretched finger, and jumped from his lap with an angry hiss. Back arching, Sam sauntered from the room, giving Steve a view of his butt, tail swishing angrily, as he went.

Chin looked steadfastly at his coffee, because he couldn't meet Steve's eyes. He could feel heat rising to his cheeks, and had a bizarre desire to hiss at Steve and join Sam beneath the ottoman. He felt a kinship with the frisky feline.

"Really?" Danny asked, voice quiet, shoulder nudging Chin's. "You were jealous of Steve?"

Chin scratched the back of his neck and shrugged. He wished, for a split second, that Malia would come and rework her magic, but realized that, eventually, he'd have to face the truth.

"He's your best friend, and..." Chin took a deep breath, looked at his coffee, as though he'd find the words he needed there. "I thought that, well, that..."

"That I was interested in that overgrown, super ninja soldier, who doesn't seem to understand that there are better uses for his head than butting it against that of a criminal?" Danny's voice was filled with incredulity, hands moving rapidly as he talked.

"Hey!" Steve interjected.

"I can't believe that you were jealous of the boss man, cuz," Kono said, joining in on the laughter.

Steve crossed his arms over his chest, a pout on his face. He wasn't looking at any of them.

"I happen to be a very good looking man," he said after a pause. "I don't think it's that much of a stretch for cat Chin, Chin Ho Kitty, to be jealous of me."

"Chin Ho Kitty?" Danny breathed out, face a mask of righteous indignation on Chin's behalf.

Steve lost the pout and burst out laughing when Kono started to giggle and point at her cousin, uttering, between gasps of air, "Chin Ho Kitty!"

Chin held his head in his hands, knowing that he'd never live this down, and glad that he was alive, as a human, to endure the teasing and the questions that he knew Kono, Steve and Danny still had, but were holding back for now.

He groaned, and muttered, "Laugh it up," when Steve said something about fur balls and ankle biting, and about how useful it would be to have a cat with its impeccable balance and agility on the team.

Danny placed a hand on the back of his neck, and when Chin raised his head, he could see love reflected in Danny's eyes. They kissed, ignoring Kono's exclamation and admonition for them to, "Get a room."

Danny deepened their kiss, holding a certain finger up, much to Kono's hooted delight. There were still questions that hadn't been unanswered, questions that Chin didn't know if he'd ever have the answer for. Right now, Danny's lips on his, the sound of Kono and Steve's voices in the background, that was okay with Chin. There'd be time enough for questions later, if he ever got to them.


End file.
